College Daze

I went through the other two boxes of albums today (more photos to come), and spent some time working on getting a favorite onto the computer. I have so far successfully transferred one side of a two-album compilation! It’s slow going, but I think I’m starting to get it figured out. I really do have some cool, obscure stuff, and some of it might be worth something. But I wouldn’t sell these.

Yesterday, I promised some college-era photos that I ran across, and I got those scanned today. A little background. My next door neighbor in the dorm was a super cool chick named Barb, and she was a photojournalism major. Barb and I are friends to this day...even though we don’t see each other very often, whenever we do, it’s like no time has passed at all. Don’t you love friends like that? Anyway, Barb would occasionally have to do photo projects for some of her classes, and asked me to model a couple of times for her.

This was the punk/new wave era, and in one series, she had me transforming from mild-mannered, studious, bespectacled Beth to rocker girl. A rare photo of me wearing my big glasses (check out the Devo poster behind me!), as well as a rare photo of me smoking. Also me wearing almost-black lipstick, also very rare.

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In the other series, we went to the West Quad, one of the oldest buildings on campus, which housed mostly professors’ offices and art classes. The building had really neat old woodwork, tile floors, and actual radiators. The guy in the pictures is Jeff, Barb’s triplet sister’s boyfriend, now husband (still with me?). His nickname was Babes. I still have the dress, although I shortened it at some point, but the hat is long gone.

Something that Barb and I still laugh about is while we were doing this, one of the professors came out of his office, watched us for a while, then said in a Lebowski voice (long before there was a Big Lebowski, of course), “Wow. This is so out of context.” I suppose it was.

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The Rise of the Botnets

Anyone else have problems with Facebook and Twitter this morning? Twitter was completely down for a while, and Facebook was sporadic. I could pull up my messages but then couldn't get into them, for example. Both seem to have recovered now, and I was wondering if there were solar flares or something interrupting communication. Or maybe hostile aliens. Nope. According to an article on CNET, the source is human, just irritating and disruptive:

DDOS (distributed denial-of-service) attacks typically come from a collection of compromised computers called a botnet, said Graham Cluley, a senior technology consultant at Internet security firm Sophos. The botnet computers can inundate a Web site's servers with communication requests, legitimate or malformed to cause extra trouble.

Thanks, hackers, for once again proving to all of us that you have no life. I honestly don't get that mentality. Trying to compensate for their own inadequacies, I suppose. Twitter seems to be okay now, and Facebook mostly okay--still a little sluggish, but much better than it was earlier.

I haven't written about any of my odd dreams lately, but I had a good one last night. Not so much for the interesting content or any hidden meanings, but for a great one-liner that I really want to remember.

I was at some function in a church--I don't know if it was a wedding, or what. I was wearing an evening gown, but it was really an ugly one, with ruffles on the bodice, long sleeves, and an ugly rust color. Bleah! Totally not me! I escaped from the function and went out to the outdoor basketball court and was shooting baskets. There was another woman there who was about my age, but she was apparently in charge of the playground. (She reminded me vaguely of someone from high school, but I can't think of who.) She left to go do something else, and while she was gone, I noticed that there was a chunk of foam matting that was obscuring access to the basket, so I said to myself, "That's gotta go." I pulled it down, and as I was propping it up against the wire fence around the court, that piece of fencing fell down, taking the next section down with it. As I was trying to get the sections of fence back in place, I accidentally started a lawn mower that was sitting in a puddle of muddy water (I have weird dreams, remember?), and it hurled muddy water all over my dress. (Apparently, in my dreams, I'm a veritable Lucy Ricardo.) As I was struggling with all this stuff, Tony Randall happened to wander by, and I said, "Hey--wanna help me here?" He said, "I can't help you with this, I'm just an architect," and I said, "Then you're good at building things. Now help me get this fence up!"

We got the fence back in place, and that's when the woman in charge came back. When she saw what had happened, she gave me a dirty look, but didn't say anything. I went over to her and said, "Hey. Have you got a problem?" She said, "It looks as though you've been very busy," in a sarcastic tone. I said, "It was a series of unfortunate events." She made no comment, just gave me another dirty look, so I said, "Hey lady? Why don't you just sit there atop your high horse, take a look around, and enjoy it...then get off it!"

I have no idea what prompted this dream, although I would guess that it shows a bit of a problem with authority figures, which comes as no surprise to me. I should rephrase that. I have no problem with authority figures who treat others with respect, and don't abuse their authority. I have a big problem with those who are bullying jerks and throw their weight around just because they can. I'm sure we've all encountered both types.

I just love my last line in the dream about the high horse, though. I'm going to remember that one, and who knows? I might have a chance to use it one day. I'd be so happy, though, that after I delivered it in the appropriately scathing tone, I'd burst into laughter, do a happy dance, and say, "I got to use the line! I got to use the line!" That would probably detract from its effectiveness.

By the way, Barb sent me the picture today of the three of us at yesterday's rally. As you can see, none of us ever had any sort of problem with authority figures at Ball State. Nope, model citizens, all of us, never got into a speck o' trouble, never broke a rule. That was us! (teehee!)

Do I have to?

I'm reluctant to write about this Letterman/Palin brouhaha, because I see it as a no-win situation. Those who found the remarks offensive will still find them offensive; those who thought they were funny will still find them funny. I'm not going to change anyone's mind either way, and that is not my intention. However, you all know that I'm a Letterman fan (we're fellow Ball State alum), and I'm a Palin...not-fan, shall we say...so I can't really pass up the opportunity to write about this little "feud." I've made no secret of my dislike for Palin, so this will undoubtedly be biased. Fair warning has been issued.

I won't do any background, because unless you live under a rock, you know about the jokes he made, and the Palins' response to them. I didn’t think that the jokes were particularly funny. When I heard them, I sort of groaned and gave a horrified chuckle, a sort of, "Oh, Dave, you so baaaaad" kind of thing, a "Did he really say that?" response. The joke was pretty tasteless, but it was designed to shock. Many times, that is the goal, especially with late night shows and comedians.

The Palins responded with a statement that said it was tasteless to talk about their 14-year-old daughter that way (getting knocked up). Dave responded with an admission that the jokes were in poor taste, but that many of his jokes are. He became a little more serious when he said that the joke was obviously intended to mean the 18-year-old daughter, and that he would never make jokes about harming or abusing a 14-year-old. That probably should have been the end of it, but the Palins weren't done. Todd issued a statement condemning Letterman for joking about "raping" his daughter, and a Palin spokesperson issued a statement that the Palins would not be appearing on Dave's show, and that it would probably be best to "keep Willow [the 14-year-old] away from him." This morning, Gov. Palin appeared on the Today Show and when asked about that statement--did they really mean to imply that Letterman is a child molester?--she said, "Take it however you want to take it." She went on to say that family should be off-limits, that his comments were degrading to young girls, and equated his attitude with being part of the reason young girls today have low self-esteem.

Here's my take on it. Strictly my opinion. I don't expect everyone else to agree, and as I've already warned you, I'm biased anyway.

• Dave is a talk show host and a comedian. It was a joke. It was in poor taste, which he admitted, but it was still a joke.
• It was obviously meant in reference to the 18-year-old, Bristol. You know...the one who got knocked up? Ma and Pa Palin, out here in "mainstream America," we still use that phrase to describe what happens when teenagers, like your eldest daughter, get pregnant out of wedlock. It may be crude, but it's commonly used.
• Twisting the joke into Dave talking about "raping their daughter" is pretty ridiculous. Implying that Dave is a child molester goes too far, as Dave's joke probably did. However, branding someone as a child molester is a very serious charge. By the way, if they're so concerned about the crime of rape, perhaps Gov. Palin should address the problems in her own state, which has the highest rate of rape in the country, and help the victims rather than charging them for the rape kits used in the investigation of the crime. A wee suggestion.
• Why isn't anyone defending A Rod for doing the hypothetical rapin'? Just askin'.
• Mama Grizzly can talk all she wants about family being off-limits, but she was the one who paraded the whole fam damily onstage during the primaries and election, including the then-fiancé of the knocked up Bristol. Levi looked like he wanted to be anywhere but there, holding hands with his preggers GF, in front of the entire country, but you and the campaign wanted him there.
• I don't think Dave's stupid joke or any attitude behind it is the reason for low self-esteem among young girls. I would place the blame more on a less-than-ideal family life in which girls are not raised to be strong in their sense of self-worth or self-confidence, or on the media which promotes their own almost-unattainable ideal of beauty, or on teen singers who are overly sexualized for their age and make young girls want to look just like them. But that's just me. I don't think you can pin that one on Dave.

You've probably all guessed that I have strong feelings about women's rights. I suppose Limbaugh might call me a Feminazi. I'm far from militant and/or shrill about it, though. I was raised to believe that I could do anything I wanted to do, unimpeded by my gender. I never questioned whether or not I would be allowed to do something because I'm female. I just assumed that I would do it, and that's how I've lived my life. My point is that even feeling as strongly as I do about such things, I didn't find Letterman's jokes to be misogynistic or indicative of a broader attitude of anti-feminism. It's just reading too much into a stupid joke.

This whole mess should have stopped after Dave admitted that the jokes were in poor taste. The Palins chose to escalate it and keep the story afloat. It's good publicity for them, although I think it may have backfired a bit when they implied that Dave was talking about raping their daughter, and then that he shouldn't be around 14-year-old girls. Frankly, it's also good publicity for Dave. In that regard, maybe it's a win for each of them, and an irritant for the rest of us. As always, I remain unimpressed by the Palins in any way, shape, or form, and if I may be so blunt, I would use the phrase "media whores." SSIS!

It’s UP!

Nice to see a little positive news. The Dow is up, and has gained 1200 over the past two weeks. (Click on the picture to get a more detailed graphic.) They're saying that confidence is up because of the plan to buy toxic assets in order to get credit moving again, as well as a 5% upswing in housing starts. I'm sure we haven't seen the end of this recession yet, but it really was nice to hear some good news rather than the constant barrage of bad news and scary numbers. I see a glimmer of hope. I really see it! And color me shocked! They're interviewing Ben Stein on CNN, and he has pretty good things to say about the plan, that the assets that Wall Street is going to snap up at these prices are pretty good, and he thinks this will get investments moving. Ben Stein is saying this? [clutching her heart] I'm comin', Elizabeth! (A Silver Squirrel to anyone who gets that reference. I need to make the award first, though!)

I want to thank everyone for their thoughtful comments on my previous entry about healthcare. I think everyone realizes that there is a big problem, and it needs more than a Band-Aid. It needs major surgery. (Not to beat the healthcare metaphor to death. Ha! Death! Get it?) We really do need a major shift in how we think and operate. (Ha! Operate! Get i--oh, never mind.) I believe with all my heart that we must transition to a preventive mentality and provide preventive care for all, rather than ignoring our own health because we can't afford preventive care and waiting for a catastrophic illness to force us into the ER. We can save millions in healthcare costs. Here's just one example: a yearly Pap smear for sexually active women who aren't in a monogamous relationship (every other year for women whose previous Pap was negative and who are in a monogamous relationship). If caught early, cervical cancer is very treatable. But if it progresses too far, the costs of aggressive treatment, chemotherapy, surgery, etc., will become astronomical. We're talking $150 versus $150,000. Minimum. It adds up.

I especially want to thank my British and Canadian friends for weighing in on the issue. It's invaluable to get the perspective of someone looking at our country and saying, "Wait a minute...why doesn't everyone there have care?" We must do better, and we can do better. I know it.

I also got a couple of comments about my profession, Medical Technology, that I want to address. The Wiki page I linked to is very accurate as far as our training and the jobs that we can do. Even though I'm not working now, I still feel that I am an MT and always will be, and I'm very proud of the work that MT's do.

Giovanna wrote: I have a question: How can an internship be done in 3 months? If it used to take 12 months. Are they still learning the same or are they learning less?

And DB wrote: 12 month internship to 3 months is a big leap. Were you prepared after 3 months?

This is the first time Giovanna has commented, so welcome to Nutwood, Giovanna! And D, it's always good to see you, my friend.

Very legitimate questions. My internship started in July after my junior year, and went to July of my senior year. I had to move off campus (Remember the house on Rex Street, Dan? We had at least one big party there.) because I wasn't technically a Ball State student any longer, but I also didn't have to pay tuition! I stayed in Muncie, doing my internship at Ball Memorial Hospital, although there were several sites in the state where I could go. Even though I wasn't done with my internship until July, I got to go through the May commencement, so that was cool. Kind of a strange arrangement, but it all worked out well. (My parents especially loved the no tuition part!)

The internships are much shorter now, and I'm glad that I got to do such a long one. The shorter internships merely mean more classroom instruction. The training and knowledge base is the same, but the hands-on work is curtailed. We have to rotate through all departments in the lab, and my Microbiology rotation was...I think 11 weeks. Chemistry was the longest at 13 weeks. Most students now spend about 4-5 weeks in Micro, and the other departments are obviously shortened as well. I'm not even sure if they spend any time in Histology and Cytology, and I spent about 3 weeks going through those areas. (I'll never forget my first view of an amputated leg in Histology. Whoa.) Students now still receive plenty of classroom instruction, but the hands-on stuff is limited. Part of this is due to legal issues and more stringent regulations about who does testing. In my internship, those of us who showed special aptitude would end up doing the morning Hematology run, for example, and report out those results with the oversight of the tech who was working with us. I don't know about other departments, but in my most recent job, we did not let students report out any patient results.

I think the main difference is that with a year-long internship, I was probably a little more in tune with what is was like to work in a lab. My first job was still an eye-opener, but I'd say it was an easier transition than some experience now. When you actually get in there and find out what a crazy workload it can be, it can be overwhelming. Of course, everyone remembers the really good students who seem to "get it," especially in Microbiology, because not many do. Those are the students that end up getting hired at the lab or hospital where they do their internship.

So rest assured, there are plenty of good people working in the lab, doing your lab work. There are multiple inspections for every lab, continuing education is a requirement, and almost every lab requires that their techs be certified by at least one regulatory agency. Several states also require state licenses.

Have you hugged a Medical Technologist today? [grin]

Light lunch, big game

Shane and I had a great lunch! We went to Panera, and I had never been there before. Yummy soups and sammitches! We ended up talking for over two hours, if you can believe that. (You probably can.) It was great to just get caught up on stuff, chat about things both serious and fun, and of course there was talk of Route 66. He said that about the only part he hasn't driven is between Vinita and Oklahoma City, and I think that's the stretch where Laurel's Afton Station is--how ironic that he hasn't done that part! We had a good talk and some great laughs!

When we were talking about Route 66, he mentioned Devil's Elbow in Missouri. That's a spot that I haven't explored yet, so I'm looking forward to that in the future. Shane said it's probably his favorite stretch of Route 66 in Missouri, and it has one of the old truss bridges. He also talked about the stretch in California that is probably a good 200 miles or so, one of the longest he's driven. Oooo, talking with him about it gave me Road fever! We also talked about our trip in June of 2001, and I told him that on our recent trip to Missouri, the radio station mentioned the McKinley Bridge which is apparently still open. That's one of our more memorable adventures from our trip, because it's a pretty old bridge, and we drove on this outer lane that looked like an addition to the actual bridge, like it was hanging by a thread. There wasn't even a guard rail, just a small curb between us and the Mississippi River. We both felt like we were going to drop into the river at any moment! Considering my fear of drowning, that was very creepy!

I was excited to see that my Ball State Cardinals are playing on ESPN2 tonight. This is the conference championship, and if they win this (they're still undefeated, 12-0), they could be going to a BCS bowl. Wow! And yes, our big cheer at games really was "Ball U!" It's not quite as bad as at Indiana's basketball games, when they were cheering for the IU defense and yelled, "IUD! IUD!" but I supposed "Ball U!" is close.

Back to my lunch with Shane...of course we talked a bit about the election. I mentioned my previous entry about the Emanuel [emanuel, whispered] brothers. He doesn't quite get the appeal, but I have to say that some of the comments on that entry were interesting! I'm also pondering the appeal, and I think it's a combination of power and intelligence. Is this a big difference between men and women? While I can't say that I'm a total sucker for power (maybe just a little bit), extreme intellect is definitely a draw, and that seemed to intensify as I got older. I've had relationships with those who were the direct opposite of intellectual, and believe me, it wears very thin very quickly. (One of my favorite phrases from one particular guy was when he was talking about someone being in danger, and how they were "in arms way." [snort] It always made me think of Robbie the Robot yelling, "Danger Will Robinson! Danger!" and waving his robot arms!) How much better is it to find someone who is intellectually stimulating? Oh yeah, babe. "I luuuuuuv your mind..." Grrr, baby, grrrrr!

But I wonder--and I hope some of my testosterone-laden readers will weigh in on this--is power and intelligence in women as attractive to men as power and intelligence in men is to women? I'm curious. I think there are some men that are intimidated by that in women, but I would guess that most of my readers of the male persuasion are much more enlightened, and into a broad who knows her stuff and can give as good as she gets. (Yes, I'm laughing, and yes, that was tongue-in-cheek! And even "tongue-in-cheek" made me laugh!)

As Mr. Spock would say, "Fascinating."

See ya on the road!

I'm afraid our road trip won't be quite as glamorous as this picture. We won't be in the convertible, we'll be in the truck; I won't be wearing a cute little sundress, I'll be wearing comfy clothes and my barn coat; and it's not going to be a balmy, sunny, summer day...it's November in the Midwest!

Still, road trips are always fun, and who knows what we'll see along the way? There are always lunches to be had at little diners or small cafes, there are always people to meet along the way, and it's always great to get a chance to see some of our beautiful Midwestern countryside.

We're off to Missouri tomorrow morning to spend a few days with Ken's Mom and stepdad. We always have a good time with them, and I know she's excited to have us come down. We're looking forward to seeing them and having a nice visit! We're taking one of the laptops, and Ken has already scoped out a Starbuck's near their place that has wifi. (It's no 7th and Montana, Marty, but it'll do!) I can't promise daily updates, and I hope you'll forgive me for not commenting much for the next few days, but I'll do my best to keep up.

Meanwhile, back at Nutwood, Cousin Shane will be taking good care of Sheeba, and giving him lots of love in our absence.

I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving, filled with fun and fellowship!

Late news update: Ball State Cardinals go 12-0! Yahooooo! I give thanks!

College football and death by elevator

Notre Dame lost to Pittsburgh today in...get this...FOUR overtimes. Ken and I were trying to remember if we've ever actually watched a game that went into four overtimes, and we don't think we have. I'm not upset about it, because Notre Dame had every chance to put the game away and win the thing, but they were unable to do so. Pitt won fair and square. Next week's game is at Boston College, and anyone who knows anything about Notre Dame football knows that Boston College ROBBED US of a championship several years ago, and of course, we've never forgotten it! And there is no way in hell I'm tagging this entry with Boston College, because I just don't want to hear it! Ha ha!

On the upside, Illinois beat Iowa, so one of our teams (Illinois is Ken's alma mater) won! And my Ball State Cardinals are still 8-0, and currently ranked #18 in the country (although they didn't play today)! I am sitting here proudly wearing my new Ball State sweatshirt that I picked up this week when we bought the exercise equipment. They had a table with kid-sized sweatshirts, and I found a Ball State one. While there are certain disadvantages to being of small stature, I've learned to embrace my small size and enjoy being able to buy a few things in the kids' department! We're talking a $10 difference in price when it comes to sweatshirts, so viva lá miniscule! (I know that's not a French word. I just liked phrasing it that way.)

Last night we watched "Thirteen Ghosts," and I have to say that I was a little disappointed. It had its creepy moments (and the Cagehead ghost running down the hallway sort of gave me the willies...okay, that definitely gave me the willies!), the house itself was very cool, eerie, and masterfully engineered (I loved the mosaic mechanism in the floor--great visual), but I just didn't find it all that scary. Maybe I'm inured to mildly scary and need really scary in order to feel that I've gotten my full fright's worth.

But I have to give "Thirteen Ghosts" a big thumbs-up (if not for the entire movie) for the guy who gets...well, how shall I put this? Imagine stepping part way out of an elevator, and before you can get all the way out, the doors slam shut. There is no sensor, no bounce-back...they just slam shut. Forcefully. While you are halfway through the door. Are you getting me? It took me a moment to realize what had happened, and I looked at Ken and said, "WHOA!" Yep, that was a good one. Nicely done! It rivaled the split dog scene in "Return of the Living Dead." (If any of you know what I'm talking about, you get double bonus points!) My friend Marty had a recent brush with a killer elevator. It could have been much, much worse, Marty! If you've seen this scene, you'll know that you escaped with nothing less than your back half!

So tonight's movie--which was already next on our scary movie queue--is "Hostel II." I suspect that might be a little more...intense, shall we say? The first "Hostel" creeped the hell out of me. Let the fright begin! HahahaHAAA!

Get your red hots, right here!

Today in our local paper, there was an article about voter registration problems. Apparently there is a situation in Lake County (home of Gary) in Indiana, and the article went on to talk about problems with college students voting. Some kids are considered out-of-state students, but registered successfully to vote in Indiana, only to find that their student ID wasn't enough to qualify as the necessary ID for voting. (Indiana has recently passed a law that requires photo ID--driver's licence or other government-issued ID--for voting. I don't have a problem with that, and you can obtain free photo ID from the BMV [on the QT and ASAP!...sorry, I couldn't resist adding a few more acronyms], but I think a legitimate college ID card should also count.)

The article said that there have been attempts to allow college students to vote early, including on the campus of my alma mater (and Dan's), Ball State:

In Delaware County, Ball State University officials asked election officials to set up an early voting center on campus for the general election, but GOP officials objected and the site was not approved. Delaware County Republican Party Chair Kaye Whitehead told The Star Press of Muncie that a campus site could encourage voting by uninformed students easily swayed by freebies like hot dogs.

Exsqueeze me? I guess Ms. Whitehead (hmmmm) thinks that not only are college students a bunch of uninformed cretins, she also believes that students at Ball State are so hard up for food and so malnourished that they can be enticed by the prospect--and perhaps the aroma--of free hot dogs. Sort of like the Pied Piper, but with wienies.

Ms. Whitehead's comment has to be about the stupidest thing I've ever heard. I find it indicative of the attitudes of the party officials and administrators (not members...hell, I'M a registered Republican) that they would block the chance to let college students vote early, because they believe they're "uninformed" and "easily swayed" by something like free food. Are you kidding me? Free beer, maybe, but free hot dogs? Get real.

Here's some information for you, Ms. Whitehead. Anyone that is 18 years of age can vote, and it is not your job to decide if they are "uninformed" (or hard up for food). They have every right to vote that you do, and they have every right to vote early, just like you, and just like me. The fact that they reside on campus has nothing to do with their ability, right, or intelligence when it comes to voting.

This morning, Colin Powell endorsed Barack Obama for President. Part of his thought process, as he explained it, was the choice of Sarah Palin as McCain's running mate; part of it was the negative tack that McCain's campaign has taken in the past few weeks; part was the reaction and bearing of the candidates in response to the economic meltdown; and part of it was that he sees his party trending towards exclusion rather than inclusion. To reiterate, I believe Powell's statements are his own condemnation of the GOP platform, not the majority of Republicans, and let me say it again: Beth <--registered Republican. Hearing a Republican county official say that college students are uninformed and swayed by free hot dogs actually makes me laugh. As Ricky Ricardo would say, "It's just so reeediculous!" Wake up!

The Return of Guido

No, not the Guido you all know (and who has been so helpful in moving us over to Blogger). I've got a Guido of my own.

Dan (Guido was a nickname) and I met back in college, at Ball State. We lived in the same building, although it wasn't really a coed dorm. The guys lived on the bottom four floors, in Hurst, and the gals lived on the top four floors, in Mysch. There was a curfew, but there was also a fire door between the fourth and fifth floors. How long do you think it took for our friends in Hurst to disable the alarm? Ha!

Whew, we all had some wild times, let me tell you. Dan (AKA Guido) and his roommate Jeff (AKA Lance), Steve (AKA Leroy), and various other friends and characters...Paul and Pam, Andy and Little Sue, Shannon, Melanie (who ended up being one of my roommates when we moved off-campus), that crazy guy who bit off someone's ear (I think he died several years ago)...Barb, Sharon, Lori...as I wrote to Dan the other day, sometimes it all seems like a blur.

I've lost touch with Dan off and on, but we're back in touch now. I'm glad we've remained friends, and we've had some good laughs lately.

One of them was over this picture. I have very few pictures from college, but my friend Sharon got this one of me and Dan in my dorm room. If I recall, this was right before the school year ended, and this was our last hurrah of the year. Gee, do you think we were having a good time? Dan has a look on his face like, "Damn paparazzi!" and I've got a look like I'm about ready to keel over. Notice all the pictures on the wall behind my bed. I had a bunch of the Police, and I see Jim Morrison and Peter Wolf of the J. Geils Band back there. My 8-track player is on the shelf above my bed, and Dan is holding an album. That would be a VINYL album.

Dan had never seen this picture, and when I scanned and sent it to him, he got such a kick out of it. It kind of made us reflect on that time, on how we've changed and where we've ended up. I'm very happy where I am at right now, and Dan seems to be happy, too. But looking back at our college days...I suppose that was really the last time I didn't really have a care in the world. Yes, I went to class and kept my grades up to keep my small scholarship, and earned my degree, but beyond that, a whole lifetime was ahead of me, and I felt that happiness was mine for the taking. As the saying goes, shit happens, and it happens to all of us...that's just part of life, and to be expected. To have those college years in which we made the transition from being kids to being on the verge of adulthood was, in retrospect, a wonderful gift.

I haven't seen Dan for a few years now--I think the last time was when I lived in Indianapolis--and maybe we can remedy that soon. He tells me that I don't seem to have changed much (he hasn't seen the white strands popping up in my hair and the laugh lines around my eyes!), but he says he's got a beard now, and salt and pepper hair that is more salt than pepper. Ha ha! Hard to believe it's been over 25 years since this picture was taken, and it's a little unnerving to realize that. But it's all good.

I hope you'll all join me in wishing my friend Dan a very happy birthday today. He turns 46 today, and I can divulge that because I'm older. Just a little bit. Only 50 days.